Shallow Breath is probably my least discovered novel, which is ironic as this book helped me grow so much as a writer. When I began thinking about the story, I knew I was setting myself a massive challenge: a twenty-year timeline, seven different perspectives, some challenging themes, and a difficult research trip to Japan.
On top of that I did a whole lot of animal research, so I could become enough of an expert on dolphins, kangaroos, orang-utans, elephants, and whale sharks to be able to write about them convincingly. I spent six solid months with my nose in obscure zoologists’ autobiographies, or in the library crypt with gloves on, handling the delicate artefacts from the Atlantis Marine Park in Perth.
Atlantis was once a thriving marine park north of Perth, but now the only evidence it once existed is a statue of King Triton and a few crumbling limestone features. The research was so fascinating that I could have gone on forever, and it was hard to stop and write!
What it’s about:
Two years ago, Desi Priest made a horrific mistake and destroyed her family.
Now, she is coming home to make amends: to her daughter Maya, who’s nurturing her own dangerous plan; to her brother Jackson, who blames himself; and to her close friend Pete, who has spent years shielding her from a devastating truth.
But as Desi returns to her beloved house by the ocean, there’s a stranger waiting for her. Someone who needs her help. Someone whose arrival will reveal a chain of secrets hidden for over twenty years.
And one by one the family will be forced to confront the possibility that they have somehow got things terribly, tragically wrong …
A compelling story about love and what it really means to be free.
